


A week of Love

by charliepoet13



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, I'm coming up with my own prompts cause I can't find any online, Lolu week 2019, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, a whole lotta fluff, but also angst, like sweet tooth levels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-11
Updated: 2019-08-17
Packaged: 2020-08-11 07:42:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20150083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charliepoet13/pseuds/charliepoet13
Summary: Lolu week 2019! One prompt a day featuring a spirit mage and her lion.





	1. Day 1: Scintillating

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucy comes up with the perfect word to describe Loke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK this is while Comic con and work is taking up my time so I can't do big chapters, but also because i've never tried something like this before, so here goes nothing!
> 
> This is an incredibly fluffy way to start the week, you have been warned.

“Scintillating”

“...What?”

He didn't think it was too weird to ask for clarification, staring up at his mistresses perfect eyes, examining her cute thoughtful expression.

Laying across her legs while she used his chest to write on had become something of a common occurrence. If it wasn't as comfortable to write this way, she never said anything, so their relaxing days on her couch continued. 

"Scintillating, as a writer I prefer to have the perfect word to describe something. It's the perfect word don't you think?"

She often chucked words and sentences at him, to help her get past writer's block, or just to make sure what she was writing made sense. He wasn't sure how helpful he actually was, since she regularly worked out her problem halfway through questioning him, but he happily leant her an ear regardless. He presumed this was what she was doing now.

“You’re describing something in your book Lucy? I would like the full sentence if that’s no trouble”

She looked at him slightly confused before understanding dawned on her face, it was like she often forgot he couldn’t read her mind, not that he wouldn’t mind that ability. Oh to know what Lucy dreamed about at night. He almost got lost in his own fantasies when she spoke up, her voice always immediately catching his attention.

“Ok I will use it in a full sentence” She looked down at him, gazing straight into his eyes as she beamed at him. Her happiness was his own and he couldn’t resist grinning back. “Loke Heartfilia is incredibly scintillating. Works brilliantly don’t you think?”

He would have liked to respond to her, he really would have, but his brain had shut down completely. His face became a scarlet red as warmth spread through him. His heart hammered in his chest and he briefly wondered if she could feel it. Where did he start with that? Loke Heartfilia?! Did she want to kill him?! He had never thought of who would take whose name before, but right now, the idea of adding her name to his was getting more and more appealing. To the point his very soul was demanding it happen immediately. 

“Y-you think so?”

Damn it, why was he stuttering? He’s much smoother than this! Maybe being on Lucy’s lap did things to his brain. She nodded, seemingly proud of herself for coming up with it.

“I know so! It works so well! You are literally bright, what with you being a celestial lion and all. The stars literally flow through you and I’ve seen proof of it when you’re happy, it’s like you’re physically glowing.” He didn’t have the heart to interrupt her and say that he probably was, just a little. It was hard to hold back his light around her. “Regulus is so blinding...Though not as blinding as your smile” The wink she shot him did funny things to his stomach, why was he acting like such an inexperienced teenager? Oh yeah, it’s because Lucy usually ignored or shrugged off his flirtations, as sadly immune to them as she was, she’s never actually engaged in them before!

“You think my smile is blinding?”

“Yup, though right now it’s more on the cute side of things” He wasn’t altogether surprised to find he was smiling like a lovesick loon, it was embarrassing! Yet...he kinda wanted Lucy to keep making him feel special. “It also works because you’re a smart man...when you want to be.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I mean when you aren’t looking up my skirt” 

_ Hey! That’s unfair! _ He didn’t look up her skirt all the time! Or much anymore, he’d rather stare at her face. He pouted, ready to sit up and protest, when a hand went into his hair, freezing him in place as she gently rubbed his head.

“When you aren’t so distracted Loke, you’re quick on your feet, a skilled hand to hand fighter who is capable of coming up with day saving plans and adapting to whatever situation he finds himself in. Honestly...it’s hard not to feel safer when you’re around”

She thought so highly of him? Oh he must have died and gone to heaven, that was the only logical explanation. Overpowering love flowed through his veins and he could no longer hold back. He sat up so he could be next to her, then wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug. The book she was trying so hard to write, dropping to the floor as he pulled her in. He hoped she would forgive him for that, but he _ needed _this right now.

“You know you’re not going anywhere now right? Not until all this love inside me goes away”

She hummed, looking thoughtful.

“I guess I’m going to be here a while then, luckily for you I don’t mind”

Her arms finally held him in return and he relaxed back against the couch, taking her with him. She cuddled up against his chest and he delighted in the contact. He found himself nuzzling the top of her head slightly.

“I love you Lucy, I love you so much”

“I love you too Loke...man if I knew flirting would affect you like this I would have done it ages ago, perhaps I should start flirting back when you compliment me?”

Oh please do! The thought of flirtatious banter with Lucy had him squirming with anticipation and excitement. 

“It did completely undo me..but then again, when such an amazing woman gives you such high praise, it’s hard not to be overwhelmed. You shine brightly too you know? Like a diamond in the rough. Both inside and out.”

She giggled, amused, but not flustered unfortunately, by his words. 

“And you’re back, glad to see I didn’t kill you completely”

“No but you almost did…” He swallowed nervously, trying his best to say the next word without sounding too desperate. “L-Loke Heartfilia was a real heart killer. Is that you hinting at something?”

He hoped so, oh by the stars he hoped so. He didn’t know what he had done to deserve marrying her, but if she wanted to then…

“Maybe, I think it’s a question of whether you’re going to hurry up and propose, or whether I’m going to do it”

He could faint right there and then. All those times he had called her his wife or future wife, he had never thought it actually possible! Even when they had started dating all those months ago, he was sure she’d realise she had messed up somewhere along the line. His grip tightened on her, well now she was stuck with him forever, no regrets.

“I’ll get a ring immediately my love”

“Finally! I can't believe it took a not so subtle flirt blow to the head to make you propose. With all that talk at the Grand magic games, I figured you would last a week before cracking and proposing”

“Well good things come to those who wait Lucy”

Ugh, that was awful even to his ears, still she had a fair point. He absolutely would have gotten down on one knee...if he wasn’t afraid of going too fast and scaring her away. But there's no doubt now, his heart and mind were clear and he couldn’t be happier. 

“For that Loke, the ring better be incredibly beautiful...scintillating even”

A pleasant feeling shot through him, followed by a strong and hungry urge, making him kiss her soundly. She happily accepted him, hands coming up to hold his cheeks as she passionately kissed him back. That word was going to make him react this way for a while yet wasn’t it? Oh well, he deserved whatever hell she put him through.

For now, it was time for the future Mr and Mrs Heartfilia to spend some private time together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't have all the prompts planned out so if theres one you want me to try please feel free to ask.
> 
> Sooooo anyone catch that newest chapter of 100 year quest?  
*Spoilers I guess*  
I'm so glad Loke called Lucy his wife one more time before I uploaded this


	2. Day 2: Obsession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A drink too far has the gang talking about Lucy's love life, to her great misfortune.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This prompt came about when talking with a friend about all the things Loke has done for Lucy, A lot of his attention and conversation is apparently dominated by her, even when she's not there.

She didn’t quite understand how they had gotten into this argument, but here they were, sitting in their room at an inn, having an argument. Well, she was lying a little when she said she didn’t know how it started. Booze had helped loosen their tongues, the conversations going into weird places. She had vowed not to drink, the idea of getting too clingy embarrassed her and Wendy opted to join her. They regretted their decision, maybe if they were drunk they would be enjoying the chaos. Gray had made a snide comment towards Natsu’s ‘braindead obsession with fighting’ during a spat between them and things had rolled downhill fast from there. Comments on Gray’s ‘weird obsession of stripping’ heated things up, Erza tried to step in, until one of them mindlessly insulted her love of sweet things. It was an all out war, with her and Wendy hiding in a corner so as to not get dragged into it, this wouldn’t happen if they were still nervous around Ezra! A pillow fight was going to start soon, she just knew it. Not wanting to get knocked out by a flying pillow fueled by rage, she took over the requip mage’s role and tried to calm things down.

“Come on now guys, let’s not fight. This is a silly thing to fight about anyway”

“That’s easy for you to say, I don’t know if you have any embarrassing hobbies”

This would not be the correct time to talk about the …’novellas’ she had written and kept under her bed, nope.

“Well...we don’t really need to poke fun at-”

“She ends up losing her clothes a lot”

Geez thanks Natsu.

“True...but that’s more Gray’s thing”

“Ice drool does lose his clothes more then what should be humanly possible”

“Hey!”

She sighed, she had accepted her lot, she’d never be a married woman. She’d live alone with a house full of cats, cats not Exceeds. A house full of Happys would make her scream. She couldn’t really be bothered by mentioning it anymore, though she was surprised that the mere mention of her sweet habit left Ezra defensive. Was she teased often about it? Or maybe it was the beer...probably the beer. She wasn’t surprised that Gray and Natsu wound each other up though, those two needed to chill around each other.

“Wow Lucy, you don’t upset easy”

“Oh I do Wendy, they just haven’t hit the right target yet...though I’m sure they will”

Her sentence trailed off into mumbling but, as if he heard her anyway, a smug grin appeared on Gray’s face.

“I know what will get Lucy hot under the collar. But it’s not one of her obsessions, someone else's”

A cold shiver went down her spine, she wasn’t going to like this.

“...What?”

“I’m talking about Loke’s obsession over you”

As predicted, she flushed red, causing some responding chuckles. Really? They had to bring  _ him _ of all people up? She had become nervous around him of late and she got the feeling the direction this conversation was going wouldn’t help any.

“Don’t be silly, are you saying he fawns constantly over girls? You shouldn’t insult him while he’s not here to defend himself”

There, that sounded like a perfectly normal thing Lucy Heartfilia would say, always ready to defend her spirits! Nothing was wr-

“No, I believe he was talking about Loke’s constant fawning over you...Actually for a good while he’s only fawned over you”

“That’s ridiculous! Why would he give me special attention?”

“Because he loooovvess you!”

She wanted to object,she really did, but she seemed to be outnumbered. She had given these drunk idiots a point to prove and they were going to prove it! This was technically a distraction from fighting...just not the one she wanted.

“Thinking about it, he’s liked you from the day he met you. Didn’t he pick you up and flirt with you?”

“He was flirting with all women! He wanted to act like Karen!”

She flinched a little, she hated saying that woman’s name. All it had ever done was cause Loke harm, it got thrown about by Angel to taunt them, it should just rest. But that was a bad point to make, she wouldn’t believe them just from that.

“Ok but he found your keys for you”

“Yeah, he was real tired afterward too”

“He was just being a good friend, besides he felt guilty for letting me get caught by Gajeel. Not that he should have been”

“Oh? And does a good friend almost let slip their biggest secret? The one they had been desperately trying to keep hidden for two years?”

“He then proceeded to put it off as a joke and upset me”

“To protect you! But you ran after him and he told you everything. He was happy that you were the last person he saw and was desperate to keep you from harm”

“I..well he was emotional at the time”

Her arguments were getting weaker and she knew it, but she had never thought over his actions this deeply. Her heart had never been able to take examining everything with a critical eye. Perhaps, with her drunken friends, she could brave a quick look?

“He returned the next day because ‘he couldn’t wait to see you again’”

“He summoned himself to protect you in the battle of Fairytail, claiming his love for you broke down the barrier”

She blushed as that particular memory came back with stunning clarity. It was the first time they had fought together as a team, she remembered it fondly. Even the more humiliating parts. Her heart had pounded back then...had these weird feelings taken root then?

“Who told you-”

“I did!”

Of course Happy told them all the details. The devil cat giggled.

“He made a big light that said ‘I love Lucy’ too!”

“See!”

He did do that, he had saved her then given her his coat afterward. Thankfully it seemed Happy had forgotten that bit. They had trusted each other, she had believed in his plan and he had believed she would successfully go through with it. Their trust in each other had only built up from there hadn’t it? She reached for his key before any other time and time again. But he was also there when she was desperate and needed emergency help, a last minute plan that she trusted with her life. She could give him no less than that at least.

She looked up, pulled out of her thoughts, to see Gray grinning triumphantly. She cringed, ready for what he seemed to be the finisher to this argument.

“Do you remember the S-class trial?”

“Hey! Wait a minute! We never finished that! Where’s my S rank dammit?!”

“Shush Natsu! Continue Gray”

“Well me and Loke were partners, but guess who he wouldn’t shut up about? Lucy”

“...Really?”

She almost couldn’t believe it, he talked about her when she wasn’t there? Did he think positively of her? Was he still kind when he didn’t have to be? Why did she care so much? She listened intently as he continued.

“Really! It was all oh 'Lucy would like that joke, what do you think she’s up to? I hope she's doing ok.' When you came through that cave he was so relieved his shoulders slumped, though of course he then put on a show of ‘I won’t go easy on you!’ Then, when it came to the riddle, he continuously complimented your intelligence, it became really hard to listen to. He abandoned the test and me, his best friend, to save you from Capricorn. He wasn’t your spirit at the time, he didn’t have to, but he chose to. He’s definitely obsessed and in love, with you.”

At the knowing looks, she finally gave in to her growing wave of emotions. Happiness, love, a need for him to be here, but also embarrassment, resentment towards her friends, a need to argue herself out of this corner. She could think rationally about the matters of her heart later, while they weren’t all grinning at her.

“He’s not! He just cares about me as a friend and spirit!”

She couldn’t give herself false hope like that, it was harder than she would like to just give in and accept what she saw. Her own stubbornness was frustrating her.

“Come off it Lucy! At least admit to his feelings if not your own”

Before she could stop herself, her hand grabbed a pillow beside her, all her suppressed rage and mortification went into the throw as she chucked it at them. Thankfully it missed, not so thankfully, it reminded them of their fight. The tension returned to the room as they eyed each other up, ready to strike. She was now dragged into it too. Wendy and Carla were the only safe ones, lucky them.

Natsu reached for a pillow by him, she knew from the start this kind of fight would happen! She just hadn’t expected her to be the one to cause it. The pillow went straight for her face, she closed her eyes in anticipation...for a hit that didn’t come. She opened her eyes to see a ringed hand had caught the pillow. She smiled in easy relief, tension leaving her shoulders. 

“Loke! Thanks for the save.”

He shot her a cheeky wink, grinning like an idiot.

“No problem! Anything for my favourite ‘obsession’.” His words were dirty, but his smile turned genuine, his eyes softened, full of love and she had to turn away from him. Damn this effect he had on her. Annoyingly, he laughed at her.

“You know...they’ve helped me realise, you do a lot for me...thank you”

“No thanks needed, just doing what any good husband would do” She spluttered, unable to respond. Did he really want to…? Or was he just playing with her? Flashes of the Grand magic games came to mind. Him in that suit asking to marry her, had he meant it even then? “Speaking of my diamond… You three almost hurt her”

A dark malice filled the room as turned away from her to face the other three, his soft hearted grin turning sinister. She supposed in a real fight he would be more cautious, in going against Ezra at least...but this was just a pillow fight, right? Natsu, sensing his intent, eagerly took up the challenge.

“You going to do something about it you oversized cat?”

“Of course! I’m going to protect my wife’s honour!”

Before she could object to that nickname, really now they weren’t even dating ( though perhaps she really wouldn’t mind too much if they were), he was calling on Regulus’s power. Wasn’t this a bit too much?! She couldn’t stop him fast enough, he tossed the pillow in front of him before calling all his power into his fist.

“Regulus Impact!”

The light shot forward, but instead of destroying the pillow, it was absorbed into it, was he manipulating his magic? She was momentarily impressed by him, but that was quickly squashed by concern when the pillow suddenly shot forward, powered by light magic. It sped across the room, catching Natsu off guard and in the face. He shot backwards and crashed into a wall, breaking it. She was going to have to pay for that wasn’t she? Her silent mourning of her jewels was interrupted by a loud yell. Natsu jumped forward, brandishing the pillow in both hands, ready to swipe down on Loke’s head.

“Get ready for a Dragon Slayers Flame Pillow attack!”

“Bring it on Flamebrain!”

As the room once more descended into madness, her and Wendy retreating to the corner, she couldn’t help but let out a sigh. Her friends weren’t normal in the slightest were they? All of them obsessed with getting stronger and protecting each other to the point of bashing each others heads in. Still...it was this obsession with one upping each other, of having the last word, that had helped her better understand Loke’s feelings for her and how real they actually are. She looked up at her lion, who was laughing joyously in a way that made her heart skip a beat. He was taunting Gray into striking him, chuckling when the shot missed and got Ezra instead.

It had also helped her realise her feelings for him too, huh? Well he’s going to be insufferable when he finds out, better let him wait a bit. For right now, where’s a pillow? She bet she could sneak up on him while he was so distracted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was meant to be small and yet...it just grew as I wrote.


	3. Day 3: Soulmates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucy tells Loke about the ties that bind them

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am way too motivated to write for this, this got super long.

Do you believe in soulmates? The idea that two souls are connected throughout time. Constantly meeting each other and creating a strong romantic or platonic relationship. Whichever they are, it will be a relationship that fulfills them like no other. 

If you do believe in soulmates, do you believe in the red line of fate? A string that ties these soulmates together, invisible to the human eye, it unfortunately can't help them find each other. But it is there, a symbol of their bond nonetheless.

_ Well, usually you can't see it anyway. _

Lucy sighed deeply as she looked around the park she was in. Red lines were everywhere, connecting couples going on dates, friends hanging out with each other, connected by their little fingers. She stared down at her own. For a long time she only had a ring and no line, she figured she was one of those unlucky souls with no soulmate, a price for this power perhaps. Not that she ever used this rare ability, or told anyone about it for that matter, it just didn’t seem important. But one appeared a few years ago, she had waited two years before leaving home and following it’s trail to Fairytail, to him. It had almost faded away with him, that had been terrifying, but now the line drooped down to her side, where it stopped at a key. It wrapped around the key, waiting for the spirit to return to this world, so it may return to their finger. 

It had been a long while since she had joined Fairytail, couples she had known belonged together got together, love was in the air. Wasn’t it about time she sorted her own out? She had never wanted to force the issue onto Loke. She definitely didn’t want to make him feel forced to stay with her, an immortal being like him had enough problems. Could she really be selfish enough to ask him to wait for her through all her reincarnations? To try and find her again?

She was thinking in circles, she groaned loudly, attracting attention, but she didn’t care. There was really only one way to solve this. With a heavy sigh of defeat, she pulled out Loke’s key. The red line looked like a ribbon decorating it, it was kinda pretty. Shame only she could see it.

She called on her spirit magic, summoning Loke from the Celestial Spirit World. As he appeared in a flash of gold, the red string connecting them glowed, as it found its home back on Loke’s finger. She briefly wondered if it was still there in the Spirit world, she was just unable to see it. Her lion bowed, ever the showy gentleman.

“Hello princess, to what do I owe the honour of your presence? A date perhaps?”

He was teasing her, smiling smugly as he straightened up from his bow, but maybe they would be dating after this. That would be the best outcome anyway. 

“Not a date, a conversation, if that’s ok. I have something that I've been keeping a secret from all of you from day one and...and I need to tell someone. I want to talk to you about it”

He was silent for a moment, before sitting beside her on the park bench. 

“Lucy, you can talk to me about anything, I’m touched you trust me with something so important”

“Well it’s only fair, it’s because of you I used it again, and grew to like it”

He looked at her, clearly confused, while she tried to figure out how she wanted to word this.

“Excuse me?”

“You see, I don’t just have celestial magic, I was born with a rare secondary magic. It had some...unintended side effects, which kinda made me hate it as a child”

He didn’t look any less confused, but he was still listening, so that was something.

“Secondary magic?”

“Yeah I...I can…” Oh come on! Why couldn’t she say it? “I’ll explain parts of it, hopefully that will help me bring them together into one whole”

He nodded, relaxing against the bench, getting himself comfy as possible.

“If that helps you Lucy, I'll listen to you all day if you need it”

“It shouldn’t take that long...hopefully. I need to ask though, do you believe in fate?”

“....A bit of a loaded question there Lucy” He took a minute, despite his words, to think it over. “Well, we’ve changed fate in the past just to have this conversation, so I guess not? Or if it does exist, then it can be changed with enough determination”

She could work with that answer, even if it wasn’t exactly a positive one.

“OK, but what if I told you that some things were fated, written in stone and couldn’t be changed? Not that most want to change this particular thing”

“...I’d be intrigued, please go on”

He turned to face her, leaning on his hand as he waited for her to continue. She was glad she had his full attention, even if the staring was a little off putting, it would have broken her resolve completely if he hadn’t given her a chance.

“I...I can see souls that are...tied together in a sense. They are fated to meet, interact with each other in some way. If someone was to change fate and not meet this person, their life would be lesser for it.”

He looked at her, pondering something, she wished she could read the thoughts swimming in his eyes.

“So..then you know some form of future? Or past at least?”

“I guess? Not that I know any specifics, just that two people will develop a bond of sorts.”

He nodded, humming slightly. She panicked that he didn’t believe her, that he wasn’t taking her seriously, but he pushed those fears away easily.

“That’s an interesting ability Lucy. It fits you though, someone who cares so much about others would be able to use that kind of information to benefit others. Though i’m not sure why you would hide it from us, or how I helped you with it?” 

She sighed deeply, this was the part that was going to hurt.

“When I was younger I...I didn’t have a tie, a line if you will, to someone else” A ring had been on her finger, but no line had trailed from it. “I figured maybe it was the payment for having this power, that I would have no one special in my life. Or maybe, in my darkest moments, I worried that maybe I was the broken one. A broken soul with a broken family destined to be alone, it seemed almost poetic.” Her nails dug into her arms as she talked. She was surprised to find hands covering her own, his eyes wide with worry and concern.

“You’re not broken in any way, you’re perfect to me”

She smiled sadly at him, letting go so he could hold her hands, probably an attempt to stop her from hurting herself. He cared too much.

“I know. Two years before I broke free and fled to Fairytail, my line appeared. Finally after all that time, so many years ignoring the beautiful connections around me out of some form of self pity, I had someone. I was ecstatic, it helped push me toward leaving, though it wasn’t my only reason”

His shoulders relaxed, smiling from his eyes in joy for her.

“So where was this mystery person?”

He seemed enticed by her story and it gave her courage. He was being swept away with it, and her with his emotions.

“I followed the trail, taking odd jobs here and there to fund my travels. I met more spirits and made a small amount of jewels for myself, before I bumped into Natsu”

He shuffled a little, looking a little resigned. What had caused that?

“Was he your special person?”

_ Oh! _

“No, while he is incredibly important to me in every way, I love him like a brother, he wasn’t the one I was looking for. But he did lead me to Fairytail, which was where my trail came to an end”

“They were a member of Fairytail? Who?”

She fidgeted with his fingers, getting a little nervous, she swallowed a lump in her throat before she continued.

“I’ll get to that in a minute, but first, how you helped me” He whined a little, apparently not pleased with the order of things, but let her continue. “I still ignored my power, because I wasn’t sure how to tell this person. It seemed a lot to drop on someone and that’s if they even believed me, they could have called me crazy”

“That would have been a bit much…”

“Well, to their credit, we didn’t exactly have a normal relationship at the start. They had their reasons but it was pretty hard for me to even talk to them normally, nevermind drop this on them. It hurt a lot, but I decided to let it go. They were going through something and needed space. It wasn’t until...that night, that I relied on that power”

“...You mean…”

“Yeah...While I was pretty sure you were somewhere to do with Karen, it was nice to have your line showing me where to go. Yes you have one too” 

He seemed bewildered at the very idea, he held out his hands to stop her.

“Woah wait, I have one? How did you know it was mine you were following?”

“You’ll understand soon, trust me. The line showed me the straightest path, which wasn’t useful when it was up a mountain. So I'm glad I worked out where you were so I could use both to plan a proper route. Still when I got there, it was...fading with you. It was like you were slipping through my fingers. Is that weird?”

“No, no it’s not”

His arm went around her shoulders, pulling her to sit closer to him. It was harder to think at this distance, but she appreciated the comfort. Taking a deep breath, she leaned her head against his shoulder, taking a small victory in the way he cuddled her closer, wanting more contact. 

“When you came back the next day, the line was so vibrant, so full of life. I was so relieved. I realised I could actually do something with this power, if the need arose, so I paid more attention to it. That’s thanks to you”

“It sounds like all I did was nearly die”

She almost choked, it was a sad truth wasn’t it? If he had never become human, how long would it have been before she knew her own soulmate? Would she have ever gotten him away from Karen? She hoped so, but wasn’t entirely certain.

“You did more than that, you always support me, no matter what”

He hummed in acknowledgement, before leaning his head on hers. There was a question on his lips that had still yet to be answered, but he let her psyche herself up for it. He really would sit there all day with her wouldn’t he? How could she have ever doubted that he would be overjoyed to find out about their bond?

“Before I tell you who I’m tied to. I need to be fully truthful about what this bond is...and I think I’m ready to” He leaned back, to see her properly and patiently waited for her to go on. She took a deep breath,  _ this was it _ , this was either going to go really good, or terribly awful. “It’s not any string I see, rather, it’s ‘The red string of fate’. Yeah it exists, crazy right? The string that apparently keeps two soulmates together. I can see it, I know people’s soulmates Loke. That’s why I was so desperate to come here, I wanted to meet them at least once. It’s how I’ve been able to ‘predict’ who was going to get together. Though soulmates can be completely platonic, and I have seen those, the majority seem to be romantic at Fairytail. Though Laxus and Freed are an example of platonic soulmates...I think it’s platonic anyway”

She frowned, unsure of where to go from that strange image. He had frozen, shocked, gaping at her like a fish.

“Wait soulmates are real?!” A nod from her sent him over the moon. “I knew it! I knew I wasn't just being a romantic sap, of course two souls could belong together! Just like mine and yours”

He was flirting again, but oh how right he was. She had a feeling she was about to make his whole day, possibly even his whole week (looking back, it was more the whole year).

“Right, I’ve met mine and I’m happy with them. I’ve fallen in love with their kindness and caring nature. Their loyalty is inspiring and they are always happy to lend a hand. Their good looks is a nice bonus though. I love them completely, inside and out. Nothing can stop that”

He cooled off a little, but still smiled for her.

“I’m glad you're happy, but please send them my way. Soulmate or not, I need to make sure they are worthy of my mistress”

“Of course I will, but don’t you want to know your own?”

He paused at that, looking thoughtful, before tilting his head curiously.

“They’re a human?”

“Well your line is always here when you are, so it’s either a really coincidentally timed summoning or...”

“Or my soulmates a human...I can live with that. It’s nice to know that I’ll have someone who will support me throughout time and all their reincarnations. Even if that is a little selfish of me, but hey, lions don’t like to be lonely.”

Her heart hurt for him, but if he was ok with their strange relationship, his fate to continuously wait for her to return, then so was she. Well maybe not completely, it seemed so unfair to him, but she was a little selfish too. They fit rather well didn’t they?

“I’ll show you the path your line takes if you want. Hold out your right hand for me if you do”

He turned his body so he sat cross legged on the bench, facing her, then held out his right hand, palm upward, towards her.He was so trusting, he looked so eager to learn, it was cute.

“Your fate line starts here” She drew a circle around his little finger, tracing the red line. He shuddered a little, like touching it affected him deeply, huh she didn’t know she could do that. Noone else had reacted that way, but then again, she had always been too much of a coward to play with their own soulmate line. “Are you ok?”

“Yeah it’s just...for a moment there, it was like you were reaching inside of me and touching my soul, it was an amazing feeling actually”

“Oh, well at least it was good, if I hurt you let me know ok?” A curt nod before she moved on. “Anyway, it continues through the air” She traced the red line through the air, following the short distance between them. “Then it ends here” She drew a line around her own little finger, before holding it up to show him.

He stared at her for a long moment, as if processing what she had told him. He looked incredulous, a disbelieving smile crawled onto his face.

“Wait a moment, if what you’re telling me is true, then that means...you’re my..” His grin got wider and goofier as the realisation took hold. She flushed, nodding quickly, not trusting herself to speak. “My soulmate...wow Lucy Heartfilia is my soulmate...what did I do to be so lucky?”

He spoke her name so reverently, his eyes so full of open love and adoration. He leaned forward a little, closing the space between them. HIs fingers dug into the bench in what could only be anticipation, well she had said she loved him. As if he read her mind, and remembered that, his grin broadened before he whispered his own declaration of love. 

The mood shifted, taking a more romantic light, she could almost see the cliched sparkles surrounding him. She couldn’t take it. It was clear what type of soulmate he wanted to be, and while she did want that too, her mortification screamed at her to run. But she couldn’t leave him in the lurch, questioning whether she liked him. She quickly kissed his cheek, trying to not blush too badly from her boldness. She stood up quickly, surprising him, as she looked around. There weren’t too many eyes on them, but even one pair was enough when it came to confessions. She bolted, causing him to yell as he quickly got up. They could continue this conversation somewhere more private, she wanted to confess everything to him she really did. Her aching heart demanded it. But he was just going to have to catch his soulmate currently fleeing across town first. 

Luckily enough for the both of them, lions are pretty good at catching their prey, with or without little red lines telling them where to go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I ran out of time sadly but I originally wanted to go in depth about how Lucy could see how deeply someone loved and how close they were to dying. A dying soul's ribbon would look frayed, becoming weaker the closer they got. While the vibrancy of the colour would indicate how much love they felt, and how much they loved in return. For example both Lucy and Loke's sides of the ribbon would have been dulled at the start, with Loke's looking about ready to snap. As his got older looking though, it would slowly, as he came to trust her, become a pale red. By the time he was saved and returned, Lucy would be surprised by a new looking, vibrant ribbon, proudly declaring Loke's deep love for her.  
Hers would quickly brighten too, not that it hadn't already been the more she learned about him.


	4. Day 4: Fairytale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In another world, Lucy and Loke's first meeting was very different.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know Fairytale was used in a previous year, but I really enjoyed this prompt.
> 
> Edit: I'm continuing this [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20590322/chapters/48883871)

She was running, making her way through a dense forest, ignoring the way the branches scratched her arms and pulled at her skirt. She needed to get away from it all, she couldn’t be her fathers tool anymore. Constantly dressing up and going to balls to be paraded around to potential suitors, all in the hopes of growing his own wealth and power. She needed to breath, to be free, to go on an adventure, or to meet someone who didn’t care about the Heartfilia name. 

She had managed to put some distance between herself and her father’s men, but she could still hear their loud voices far off somewhere. Panic consumed her as she tripped over a branch and fell into a clearing. She groaned as she pushed herself up, cursing her cut up knees. How could she run now? Despair spread through her and her heart sank, her father would be so angry. She was about to cry when she heard a puff of air, she slowly raised her head and fell backwards, startled by the face of a dragon. 

It had golden scales, that shimmered in the starlight. Large fangs and claws that looked like they could shred through the trees around them like butter. It was frowning at her with large hazel eyes, black markings under the eyes making it look like it was wearing glasses. An orange mane started on the top of it’s head and presumably ran down it’s back. Another puff of air came from its nostrils as they flared. She froze, waiting for the dragon to pounce. Nothing happened, a quiet moment of the two staring at each other,before she noticed the magic ropes tying the dragon down. The ropes tied around his wings, body, tail and arms, before digging into the ground, immobilizing the dragon, only allowing it to breathe in shallow breaths. It looked tired, it was going to lose consciousness soon, had someone shot it down? They were probably heading here right now to capture...and perhaps kill it.

Slowly, so as to not upset the creature, she stood up. She could run, it would be easy to abandon it to it’s grisly fate but...it was like her. It was trapped, wanting to be free. She understood it’s plight in some way, she couldn’t run really with her legs anyway. If she couldn’t be free, why not save someone else?

Warily, she slowly made her way over to the dragon. Once it noticed the closing gap between them, it growled. Well, it tried to, but it was more a pathetic whimper, it didn’t have the strength to properly threaten her. How long had it been left here? Thinking it over, it was probably easier to capture a dragon weakened from hunger and overexertion than one freshly caught. How cruel, her heart went out to it, it’s attempt to protect itself. At least it was fighting until the end, she could respect that. She held up her hands, trying to placate it.

“I...I’m not here to hurt you. I’m trying to run away in fact, though I think i’m not going to get much further. Please, let me help you.”

She looked imploringly into the dragon's eyes, as it’s searched hers for any sign of a lie. A beat between them before it finally relaxed, closing its eyes in a silent nod, before staring at her as she painfully walked over. Why did she have to be so damn clumsy? She made her way over to one of the giant hands, she could have laid comfortably in one with space to spare. There were several ropes wrapped around it’s arm, before plunging into the ground. The tight ropes allowed for no movement, so even though they could be cut, the dragon had no power to do so. It was a case of quantity over quality, which she was thankful for. If these had been reinforced there would have been nothing she could do. She looked around and spotted just what she needed, she picked up and held aloft a sharp rock. The dragon immediately hissed, glaring at her distrustfully. It stung, but she couldn’t blame it. It was probably humans who were torturing it so.

“I’m not going to hurt you, I promise. I just want to cut these ropes, if I get your arm free, you can break the rest right? So please be patient with me, i’ll be as quick as I can”

She slowly moved back over, hearing nothing more than a grumble from the large being. She was relieved as she got to work, cutting into the nearest rope with the sharp end of the rock. She got herself a few times and she cursed softly to herself each time, but she finally got the first one cut. It quickly tested its ability to move and found it could slightly move it’s arm. A sound of pleased surprise came from the dragon, almost urging her to go on.

“There you see? You can trust me!”

She got to work, sawing away at the ropes, until one by one they were gone, lying uselessly on the ground. She quickly stepped back as the dragon slowly flexed it’s right claw, getting the feeling back into its muscles.Once satisfied, it clawed at the ropes tying it’s head to the ground, releasing it and allowing to shake its head. A loud crick suggested its body hadn’t really enjoyed staying in that position. Her own neck hurt in response. Using sharp fangs, the left hand was freed, allowing it to reach back and cut the ropes on its back it could reach. Wings shot upward, free from ropes, and they looked stunning. Gold scales framed the night sky, specifically a certain part. She hadn’t paid too much attention to astrology, but she was almost certain the Leo constellation shined on the underside of those wings, like a glorious painting. She would need to check that later.

The stars twinkled on the wings, almost like she was looking into the night sky. Was it to camouflage at night? How clever, though how helpful that was could be argued against, considering the position they were in. Mighty front arms pushed against the ground, alongside powerful flapping of wings, the gust almost pushing her over. The ropes strained to hold the lower half and tail, before giving up against such a force, falling aside as the dragon finally took flight, tail swinging side to side happily. 

She let out a sigh of relief, she had helped! She could collapse from exhaustion, but she had been a help. She was surprised when there was a loud thud in front of her, a snout suddenly in her face. She looked up into bright hazel eyes, softened by joy and completely grateful. She was nuzzled gently, was that a smile? How could a dragon be this cute? It’s head rose back up, taller than the trees around them. Yep definitely smiling at her. She got a good look at it now, it was well muscled but not bulky, more streamlined for faster flying. It stood on four strong legs, the mane did indeed go down the ride of it's back, ending in a tuft at the tip of its tail.

“You’re welcome. Now go, fly away! Who knows when your captors will be back?”

It seemed reluctant, making a small noise of disapproval, before flapping its wings once more. She looked up in awe as it took off, flying above the trees and out of sight. 

She collapsed to her knees once she was sure it was gone. She was so tired, her nerves had been on edge enough already, but that whole interaction had only further upset her nerves. Still, it seemed kind, so there was no need to worry-

“There she is!”

She looked up, defeated, there were her fathers men, ready to drag her back home. Back to her prison. She sighed deeply, maybe next time she’d escape, if she was ever given time alone again anyway. As they got closer, a loud roar ripped through the air. There was a crash behind her, as two clawed feet landed beside her. She stared up in shock as the dragon lowered it’s head over her, shielding her and snarling viciously at the guards. It roared, sending a powerful shockwave that knocked them off their feet. It had come back for her? Why? She didn’t even have time to question it as she was scooped up and it took off again, taking her along for the ride. The wind swept against her, almost drowning out the yells of alarm from below. The shock started to die down the longer they flew through the night sky. She calmed her breathing before speaking.

“You saved me? Thank you. I’m free, for now at least.Though I have no idea where to go, any ideas?”

A deep rumble vibrated through its belly. It pointed forward, towards a series of mountains.

“Is that your home?”

A nod in the positive and she leaned forward, holding onto its fingers for support. She couldn’t see any defining features from here, perhaps there was a cave system somewhere? So it was going home then, that was nice...

Wait a minute! She was still here! Why would-

“Am I…Am I allowed to live with you?”

A pleased hum was her response, it flew a little faster, apparently eager to show off its home. She was almost bowled over by the speed and how shocked she was. She had heard tales of dragons terrorising towns and stealing wealth and food. But one willingly allowing a human to enter its territory, nevermind its home, was unheard of. Then again, this one seemed to live far away from civilisation, so maybe it wanted to be left alone? Or maybe it was lonely?

“....Thank you, I'll be your friend if you let me”

It stopped, positioning itself upright in the air, nodding at her. 

“Great, we’re friends then. It would help if I knew your name. I’ll have to give you one” It looked affronted, but let her continue. “ You’re a male dragon right?” He nodded at her. Wow, how quickly she went from it to he, well they were friends now, he had earned that at least. “How about Loke? Since you no doubt cause a lot of mischief and trouble”

A snort, before rapturous laughter shook through him, he returned to flying toward his home, grinning to himself, his tail flailing wildly behind them. Loke it was then, this was going to be interesting, but hey, she had wanted an adventure. Who could say living with a dragon wasn’t one?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would kinda like to do oneshots about the life of Dragon Loke and Lucy, what do you think?


	5. Day 5: Knight in shining armour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucy gives her knight a stern talking to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Angsting it up a little, yay.

“LOKE!”

She screamed his name, throat raw in anguish over him. He smiled, even as the situation sunk in for the both of them. The sword protruding through his stomach having seemingly come from nowhere. It was only his quick movements that had prevented it impaling her. Though he hadn’t been quick enough, in shoving her away, to save himself.

“It’s fine Lucy, i’ll be ok remember? I’m a spirit”

In that moment, it didn’t matter to her. He was still in intense pain, his smile tight and not reaching his eyes. He was probably holding back a yell. He went to his knees, body starting to disappear into golden stardust from his stomach outwards. This was it, this was what always broke her. Seeing her family just vanish like that.

“I’ll return to you Lucy, just please stay safe,  _ please _ ”

His last heartfelt message before he vanished completely broke her heart in two. He had stressed that last word, desperate for her to live. Well, live she would. 

She glared at her opponent, they had been hiding in the bushes, waiting to strike while his friends distracted team Natsu. Eridanus started to change in her hand, reacting to its owners turmoil, becoming darker as its magic sparked violently, the whip lashing about, a flooded river torrenting wildly towards destruction. She pointed towards them.

“You. You’re in trouble”

She knew her rising emotions for her lion, knew how much she loved and cherished him. How she one day wanted to confess how much she held him dear. So she really shouldn’t have been surprised, but right now, against all better judgement, her soul cried for revenge. She charged forward, Eridanus and herself, attacking as one, as that idiot started to regret all their life choices.

It was much later that she was finally able to concentrate on what she wanted. Job was done, reward gained, resting at home. It had been quite some time since Loke had…it was nighttime now, so surely she could…? She needed to know he was ok. It was crazy, had her pacing around her room, but she couldn’t get the image out of her mind. This wasn’t even the first time she had watched him break apart like that, nor the first time he’d done something stupid for her. It had to stop, right now, her nerves couldn’t take it. She stopped her pacing, pulled out his key and called him forth, hoping against hope he’d come. It took a brief second of nothing, before he arrived, looking tired, but otherwise no worse for the wear. He smiled easily at her, like she hadn’t seen him ‘die’ earlier.

“Hello princess, you’ve got good timing, I was just finished resting up when you called on me. So, how can I help you?”

“Well you can help me by listening to what I'm about to tell you.You need to stop jumping in front of me Loke. It’s getting out of hand”

“What?”

His smile slipped from his face, replaced with a look of defensive confusion. She huffed in response, crossing her arms.

“You keep summoning yourself to act as my shield, you only ever think of my safety and never your own. You don’t seem to care if you get hurt. This self sacrificing nature needs to stop”

“But...I am your spirit, your friend...Your knight in shining armour Lucy. All I care about is protecting you. I can't lose you”

“But, but you feel pain, you constantly keep getting ...killed? I don’t know the proper term for it, but you need to focus more on yourself”

He shook his head, starting to get frustrated with her. 

“A knight protects their princess. I will protect you forever. Any pain I feel would be nothing compared to the pain of losing you to some villain of the week. I want you to live a peaceful life, failing that, I will make sure you are as safe as possible on these dangerous missions you always happen upon.”

“Then I won’t summon you during missions anymore”

He froze, looking like his whole world had ended with that one sentence. 

“...You’re what?! You can't mean tha-”

“You’re the only spirit who does this, sure my other spirits have sadly lost before, but you’re the only one obssessed with my safety to this degree.”

“...I don’t think you’ve been paying enough attention to the others if you truly-”

He went ignored as she continued to rant.

“You’re the only one who has chosen to fight their closest friends, on multiple occasions, for me. That must of torn you up inside. You’ve focused so much on me you’ve gotten yourself literally blown up! It can't be good for you, to continue doing this. To only pull me from danger and not yourself, so this is it! I’ll focus on summoning my other spirits from now on, until you gain some sense”

“Then I’ll just summon myself.” He shrugged, as if that was that on the matter. “ I’ve watched you die once, I’m not doing that again, regardless of the cost.”

They stared each other down, he glared down at her fiercely, until she cracked. Tears slowly starting to spill down her cheeks, startling him into moving closer. HIs hands went to her cheeks to try and wipe away her tears, but it was a losing battle, his expression lost its edge, smoothed out by worry.

“Hey Lucy, its ok, i’m right here, there's no reason to cry is there? I’ll always return to you, so why worry yourself this way?”

“BECAUSE I CARE ABOUT YOU, YOU MORON!”

She hadn’t meant to yell, or grab him or pull him close to her so they were touching noses. But here they were, she could see his wide, startled eyes, like a lion caught off guard mid jump. His hands gripped hers, but made no move to push her away, rather, it was like he needed proof she was there.

“C-care about me? Of course you do, we’re friends Lucy, so I should-”

“No! I mean I...This princess is in love with her knight, get it?!”

“Y-y-you are?”

She nodded, burying her face into his jacket, crying and hiccuping.

“I keep worrying, what if this is it? What if this time I lose him for good? I know you’re immortal, it makes no sense, but I can’t...I can't take this. My heart can't...”

Her crying got worse, she struggled to breathe as all her suppressed feelings and worries came out as a flood of tears. His arms wrapped around her back, his fingers tracing circles into her back to soothe her. He rested his chin on her head and he purposefully breathed deeply, slowly, in and out. It took a moment, but she tried to copy him. She heaved in air at first, before calming down, ever so slowly. It took a while, but finally, her eyes were dry, her breathing matched Loke’s and she had a terrible headache. After a moment, he finally spoke.

“I’m sorry Lucy, so very sorry. A good knight protects their charge from everything, but I didn’t see how I was hurting you. I’ll...I’ll make more of an effort to keep us both safe. I want to fight alongside you, but I do get so caught up in saving you, I forget that I don’t want to leave you. You won’t ever lose me though Lucy, even if the spirit world told me I’d used up all of my nine lives, that I could never come back, I’d fight against that too. You want to know why?”

She was quiet for a moment, gathering up what was still left inside her to speak. Finally she let out a shuddering breath.

“Why?”

“Because, Lucy Heartfilia, I’m in love with you. Nothing, no enemy, no twist of fate, no celestial spirit rule...not even a limit to my immortality, could stop me from crawling my way back to you. You are stuck with me forever” He moved his head back so he could grin at her. “This knight is pretty stubborn like that”

His comment actually pulled a short laugh from her. She looked up into his eyes appreciatively. 

“In all honesty, even though it’s selfish of me, that makes me very happy. Can you stay with me for a while? Please?”

His words came out as a soft whisper, holding onto her tightly.

“Of course I will, for as long as you need me to”

His leaned down to gently kiss her forehead, before going lower to capture her lips in a soft kiss. She kissed back, just as gentle, it was a kiss to help reassure the other, passion and sparks could come later. Still, it was no less meaningful and when they parted they were both smiling.

“I will love you forever, I will follow you through all your reincarnations and lives, I promise you that.”

“I love you too Loke and I will happily wait for my knight every time, for I will sorely miss you”

She let out as a surprised giggle as he lifted her up into the air to hold her and smother her in affectionate kisses. They would stick together and hopefully prevent any more tragedies befalling the other.

And so the princess and her knight in shining armour, vowed to love and protect each other, for all eternity.

And so they did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, I want to grab characters that jump in front of things for others and just shake em.


	6. Day 6: Eclispe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucy is haunted by past terrors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two angsts in a row? Wow i'm really gonna have to end this happily tomorrow aren't I?

The celestial spirit world was in ruins, destroyed buildings, smoke rising from the ashes. The sky was dark with malevolent energy. She stood alone, the cold air making her shiver. Fear started to creep up within her as she slowly started to walk through this desolate world.

“Hello?”

“Why, look who it is, what a lovely surprise” She froze, that voice, it couldn’t be! Familiar yet different, marred with hatred and anger. It could only belong to. “To think, our ‘master’, has deigned to visit us”

She froze in place, as the eclipse spirits walked out of the shadows, twelve angry spirits, whose expressions looked less than friendly, despite Lo-Leo’s ‘friendly’ tone.

“Perhaps she didn’t get enough of my whip last time?”

“Hmmm perhaps so, why don’t you try it?”

Virgo’s whip came hurtling towards her, she couldn’t move. No matter how hard she tried, her feet were stuck to the floor. The whip got her across the shoulders and she cried as the sharp pain dug into her.

“See, she didn’t even dodge, she must want to be punished”

“You’re right Virgo, why don’t you get her again?”

“Wait please!” She was trembling, her voice coming out shaky at best, but she had to stop them. “Stop this,please. I don’t want to fight you, Virgo, Loke-”

“Leo! My name is Leo woman, I told you that. Besides, what about what we wanted?”

A loud roar from the other spirits followed his question. Yelled insults stung her much worse then the whip ever could.

“You wanted to hurt people”

“Only those who enslaved us. We only wanted to be free, forever our own masters, was that too much to ask for?

“N-no but...you were endangering-”

“What about our lives? We’re endangered constantly by humans that disrespect and abuse us, does that not matter?” The chants and yells drowned out her own objections, but, strangely, Loke’s voice broke through it all. “Or is that what you want perhaps?”

“N-no I want all spirits to be happy”

“You think we’re happy like this?” A wave of gold washed over the Eclipse spirit’s, returning them to normal. But they still glared at her with hatred. She was crying now, she knew it, but she couldn’t stand to see her friends look at her like that. “Are you so selfish that you don’t see you’re part of the problem? You keep us chained to you with those blasted keys because you know if we had the choice we’d leave. You’ve enslaved us just like everyone else! But now, now that changes”

_ Lucy! Wake up! _

His shoulders straightened, filled with a resolve she could never hope to understand.

“I should just break you right here and now, do everyone a favour right? Give us our freedom, if not temporarily. Then you can't interfere next time”

She trembled, unable to move as the smirking Leo descended on her, his hands moving around her throat. He wouldn’t...her kind and caring lion would never-

“Any last words?”

Words failed her, what could she say to this. He was victorious as he slowly started to squeeze the life out of her.

“L-leo please”

“Goodbye”

_ Lucy! Please, wake up! _

She shot up, gasping for air, shivering in fear. Her eyes darted around, where was she? Suddenly, Leo was right there, in front of her and she panicked. Finally able to move, she scrambled backwards, startling herself when she felt herself fall. Strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her up, pulling her tight against a familiar chest.

Where was she? What was going on? Why wasn’t he hurting her? Was this a game to him?

“Lucy” His voice was surprisingly soft. “I’m sorry for scaring you, but you need to breathe, i’m right here, nothing will harm you, so breathe”

Her darting eyes could finally see in the darkness, she was in her bedroom. She had almost fallen off the bed when Leo (Loke?) had saved her. Her chest felt tight and she realised she had stopped breathing, her heart pounding its way out of her chest. She started taking in massive gulps of air, her lungs on fire from being denied precious oxygen. He pulled her completely onto his lap, so she could curl up against him, he rocked them both gently as she struggled to calm her breathing. She blanked out a little, her focus only on her own rhythm, her own breathing, and their two heartbeats. Hers faster than his, but not by much. The time slipped by as they sat there, he, unexpectedly, didn't push her to explain or talk, he was just there if she needed it. Which was really weird. She frowned as her brain finally came out of it’s fog, this was weird right?

“Lo-Leo” He frowned at her, causing her to flinch slightly. “Why are you here?”

“Leo? Since when do you- nevermind. I’m here because you called out for me, but it must have been in your dream. When I came to see what you wanted you were thrashing violently in your bed.” His fingers slowly rubbed at her cheeks. “You were crying”

His hand fell, getting too close to her neck in the process. She couldn’t help the small gasp, the tightened posture, as her imagination drummed up the image of him choking her. He froze, unsure of what to do or where to put his hands, he settled for resting them on the bed.

“S-sorry Leo”

“You don’t have to apologise to me, your nightmare clearly frightened you ...but are you ok? You’ve not talked to any of your spirits for a week Lucy, not since...whatever happened during the eclipse.”

Her whole body posture tightened as she tried to force a smile. This wasn’t eclipse Leo, this was Loke, she was safe, she just had to pretend she was fine. That should be easy right. 

“Yeah, i’m ok Loke” He seemed to relax when she spoke that name, he really did prefer that nickname to his true name? Or maybe he preferred her to use it? “I just...needed some time, i’m sure the nightmares will go away”

He looked unconvinced, raising an eyebrow at her. He put a finger under her chin so he could look into her eyes.

“When was the last time you got a full night's sleep?”

With his intense stare, she got the feeling lying wouldn’t work, she sighed, deep and tired.

“Before the Eclipse, so over a week ago?”

“...What happened?”

She shook her head, breaking out of his grip. No, her spirits didn’t know what they had done. She was not going to pile that guilt onto him. To add to his sin as he would say. Never. She gritted her teeth to bite back the truth.

“Nothing, nothing serious. I’m fine. Thank you for waking me but you can go back now”

She looked away from him, she didn’t want to see his hurt expression, didn’t want to see his walls going back up. Well, she was the one building the wall between them this time. She was surprised by his arms wrapping around her tightly, his forehead gently touching hers.

“I don’t believe that for a second, have you talked to anyone about this?”

Talked to anyone? About this shame she felt? This self hatred that threatened to bubble up inside her? No, she hadn’t, but how could anyone at the guild understand? In the end, she had fought hard to keep celestial spirits servants. There was another way to their freedom, she was sure of it, but she had fought to protect herself, to place her over them and it hurt her deep inside. They claimed they liked being with her, but did the contract force them to say that? Even if they did actually like her, they should be able to be by her side without a contract dictating their actions. They should be together as equals, but she was starting to realise, no matter how hard she tried, she would always be slightly above them. How could there be equality when one could die if they didn’t properly protect the other? If their own rules suppressed them from completely acting how they wanted? Gemini was incredibly lucky she wasn’t like Angel, otherwise she would have been in the same position as Loke once was, how was that fair or equal? To save someone because of your kind heart, and be punished for it.

In the end, she couldn’t discuss this, she was a coward.

“No, there’s nothing to talk about.”

He huffed, the air tickling her face.

“Well guess i’m just going to have to stick around until you do feel like talking”

“Loke-”

“Lucy, you called me Leo. You were frightened of me, you weren’t seeing something else were you? Some nightmarish monster. Yow saw me and were afraid” He swallowed, trying to hold back his own tears, though his hands were trembling as they held onto her. “Please tell me what’s wrong, I need to know. I need to help you”

He was pleading, begging her, at that moment, she couldn’t refuse him. Maybe, as a spirit, he’d understand her fears? She gave in.

It was a long tirade, explaining every detail of what had happened while the spirits had been affected by Eclipse magic. It was several hours of explaining, stopping to breathe and calm down, before continuing. Loke was a supportive rock for her, listening intently and holding her close. He was quiet and non judgemental, even when she was certain his jacket was covered in snot and tears. After she finally finished, ending the story with how she took back their keys, silence reigned for the first time in a few hours.She had watched Loke go through a myriad of expressions, none of which were anywhere near happy. He sighed and she wasn’t sure who he was upset with.

“You’ve been keeping this in for a whole week, without telling a soul, no wonder you had nightmares. But, please listen when I say this, he isn’t me. He may have tried to tear apart the connection between humans and spirits, but I don’t want that. I don’t want to be separated from you and I’m definitely not about to start hurting you to get it”

She knew that, deep down, she knew a Loke without outside influence would never harm her. While it did soothe her to be reminded, it wasn’t really the issue.

“Other you has a point though, you deserve your freedom”

“I am free Lucy” She snorted, disbelieving such light words. How could he be? “Maybe not in the broad sense of the word perhaps, but I know I am free with you. You allow me to go and do what I want, to indulge in my own selfish desires. I know I could ask you to cut off the contract here and now and you’d allow it. It would upset you, but you’d let me go if that was what I truly wanted. If that isn’t freedom, what is?”

Tears once more threatened to spill from her eyes at his words. But they weren’t just pretty words, she somehow knew, he meant it completely. He wanted to be here. But just to make sure…

“S-so if I asked you right now, to answer completely honestly, to tell me whether you wanted to stay by my side or not?”

“I’d ask why you’re asking such a stupid question” He beamed cheekily at her. “Because I believe I’ve made it obvious right here with you is where I want to be”

“Even with how unequal our partnership is?”

She could have sworn he growled quietly, but she couldn’t be completely certain.

“If I ever get the chance to meet Eclipse me, I’m knocking him out for speaking such crap. Yes, I'll admit I've had some unequal contracts, but that’s been down to the human, not me. With you, I am your equal, we both know that Lucy. I am not below you, you’ve never made me, or any of your other spirits feel that way...I’ll happily make them sign a petition or something to prove it”

She shook her head, finally starting to grin herself.

“You don’t need to do that...but thank you”

“Anything for you princess, why while we’re here in your bed-”

His predictable flirt was cut off with a yawn from her, her eyes drooping as she relaxed in his arms, how long had she been awake again? He chuckled as he fell back onto the bed, dragging her with him, so she was splayed out on his chest.

“Wow I must be good, you’re worn out already” She groaned around another yawn and he gently pushed her head down, so she was fully relaxed against him. “Off to sleep with you now my princess”

A small whine escaped her, fear making her clutch onto his shirt.

“What if I have another nightmare?”

“I’m not going anywhere, I’ll be here all night and all day if you need me. Just remember that, let me appear in your dream to sock him one.” She giggled at the mental image that gave her. “Failing that, i’ll wake you up myself and i’ll be here to comfort you”

“It won’t be a bother?”

“No bother Lucy, not to me, now please, sleep”

She hummed, not pleased, but not able to put it off anymore. Her hand found Loke’s squeezing it and finding comfort in his responding squeeze. She rested her head between his shoulder blades and finally drifted off to sleep.

And, with her lion fiercely standing guard, it was a peaceful one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Eclipse arc hurt me ok?


	7. Day 7: love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucy and Loke share another day together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is so domestic, but after the last two I needed something sugary

“Love you Lucy”

She hummed in response, focusing on her book. If she could just write one more paragraph, just one, while she was on a roll, that would be swell. His arms were around her shoulders as he leaned against her, probably trying to make her lean back in her chair. He nuzzled into her neck, so her left hand went up into his hair, distractedly giving him affection while the rest of her focused on the page in front of her. He started to kiss her neck, her cheek, her forehead, desperate to give affection. She hummed appreciatively, giving him a small kiss on the cheek back, before returning to her book. A small whine suggested he wasn’t best pleased with being ignored and the weight left her. She heard him pad off somewhere and she sighed, now maybe she could focus. 

After that paragraph, more came to her, the story flowed beneath her fingers, so she lost herself to the words. She had finished a page when a tantalising smell graced her nose. Her stomach growled noisily as the smell registered as food. She turned in her chair, looking to see where the food could possibly be, when she spotted Loke coming out of the kitchen. _ He’s probably gotten himself something to snack on _. She turned away, fully expecting him to head to the couch. So she was surprised when instead he placed the plate at her side. It was cod, lightly seasoned and a bit of lemon juice sprinkled over it. A cup of piping hot tea was placed by it. 

“I hear fish is good for the brain right? So for the incredibly famous author it seemed an appropriate meal, I hope you weren’t forgetting you need to eat?”

He looked at her expectantly and she reluctantly put down her pen. He was right, it was probably time for some food. Picking up the knife and fork to cut into the fish, she took a tentative bite, pleased by how nice it tasted.

“Mmmm this is good! Thanks Loke!”

She may as well have just told him he was the greatest thing on the planet for all he beamed at her, she was always a little taken aback by how happily he took her compliments.

“Really?! Well of course, a perfect husband looks after his wife’s every desire.”

“Right ...oh, speaking of getting things for people!”

A sudden lightbulb moment had helped her remember something she had seen in town earlier. She rushed into her bedroom, returning with a small box. She presented it to him, barely holding back her own grin, excited to see his reaction. As it was, he faked a small gasp.

“My, Lucy, we’re already married! Only recently married at that! But yes I will happily marry you again!”

She almost groaned, but she didn’t want to ruin the mood. Or take the wind out of his sails, not when he was this happy. She pushed the box into his hands.

“Just open it idiot”

He snorted before he opened the box. There was a moment's silence before he smiled fondly at her.

“For me?”

She nodded moving to her side to point at the lion cufflinks. They were golden, with silver manes and they stood rather regally, ready to defend its pride. Not that she’d tell him, but they were enchanted with magic to help bolster his defence, so he’d hopefully get hurt a little less.

Not that he’d ever let her know he was onto her, but he could feel the magic flowing through them.

“I saw them on the market and though they would look great on you! Lemme see them on you! I’ll bet it will be cute”

“Ok Ok, let me put them on, keep eating while I do”

She reluctantly sat back down, munching on her meal as he magically changed into his spirit form. He pulled up the sleeves of his jacket so he could take out the plain gold cufflinks he had. They disappeared into the air, unnoticed by him as he focused on putting on his new gift. Once they were finally in place, he showed off his wrists to her.

“What do you think?”

“They look really dashing on you Loke, I knew it was a good idea to buy them for you”

He preened under her praise, back straightened as he did his best to show off for her.

“All your ideas are good ideas Lucy. Thank you. I love you so much, my princess”

She flushed under his loving gaze, stubbornly turning back to her book, mumbling around her dinner about moronic lions. The fact she could hear him chuckling didn’t help any. She shot him a glare and he retreated, admiring his new cufflinks as he went. She could already tell he was going to show them off once he went back to the Celestial spirit world. She did her best to hide the small smile that formed at the thought.

She was once again pulled from her writing by a small noise, it kept coming and going, so it was bothering her.She looked around, surprised that her plate and mug had disappeared at some point. The room had been given an obvious tidying up, looking much shinier then it had this morning. She zoned in on the noise and almost giggled at the cause. Loke was slumped forward, snoring softly, almost falling off the couch, but not quite. She got up and walked over to him, grabbing a cushion from a chair as she did so. She fluffed it up and laid in on the side of the couch. She placed her right hand on Loke’s left shoulder, the other cushioning his head to support him, as she slowly laid him down. His head sank into the cushion and he relaxed into the couch. She went off to her closet and found an old blanket, which she draped over him to help keep him warm. Standing back, she looked over him.

_ There! I bet that’s much comfier! _

She smiled in success, before leaning over him to kiss him softly on the forehead.

“Sweet dreams my silly lion”

She took off his glasses, placing them on the table, doing her best to ignore the goofy grin growing on his face. He must be having a really good dream, that’s all.

She stretched her arms over her head, hearing a satisfying click in her back. Man she had been sitting there for a while, hadn't she? It would be time to sleep soon.But she had managed to get quite a few chapters done today, she would really be able to get into the meat of her story soon, she couldn’t wait! Her sequel would totally be better than her first! As she got up, she noticed Loke was still asleep, he should really go back, that was the only way he was going to recharge properly. Still… a little more time wouldn’t hurt him right? Determined she strode to the kitchen, intent on making something to help him wake up.

It took a few minutes for the kettle to boil and the leaves to settle, but she was overall satisfied with her idea. She took the piping hot drink and walked back to the living room, she knew she had made it correctly when his nose started to sniff. Even in his sleep he knew what this was, she put it near him on the table and didn’t have to stand there long for him to wake up. He arched his back to stretch, like a cat, before looking up blearily at her. Laying on his belly like that, having not woken up yet, he looked adorable.

“Mornin Lucy”

“Evening I think you mean, here I made you something to help wake you up”

He reached for his glasses automatically, putting them on before he leaned over to inspect the mug.

“Is this what I think it is?”

“Only a small amount, just to get you up and running, it shouldn’t get you high...I think”

He laughed as he finally sat up, the blanket falling off his shoulders and landing on his lap.

“This should be fine, catnip tea doesn't get me too wired, thank you for the thought.” 

She moved to sit by him, so he bundled up the blankets in his arms, when she sat down by him, he placed it over their laps, keeping both of them cosy.

“I’m just repaying you for earlier, that’s all”

“Of course you are.”

She wasn’t sure she liked that gleam in his eye, that spoke of a deep understanding, but she watched as he lifted the mug to his lips. He took a small sip, before his body completely relaxed, he hummed deeply in pleasure.

“It’s perfect, just what I needed. But then again, considering it’s made by the most amazing woman in the world, it was always going to be perfect.”

He shot her a wink before he took another sip, greedily trying to drink it before it had properly cooled. That was probably the catnip right? No, it was clear he liked it because she made it. He’d always like whatever they did together. Speaking of that…

“I’m sorry I didn’t spend too much time with you today, I really made some progress on my book and I just had to finish it while I could”

He waved a hand dismissively before wrapping it back around the mug.

“No need to worry, I understand. Well, maybe not completely, but I get what it’s like to be in the zone. Besides, i’m a feline remember? The biggest compliment we can give and receive is just chilling with each other. Even if we’re doing two different things I love just being in the same room as you”

She paused at that, of course this big cat didn’t mind, she’d really picked the right partner in him hadn’t she?

“I...I know I don’t say it nearly as often as you do but...you know I care right? That I do love you too”

He looked to her then to the mug, he took a deep breath before gulping the tea down. He finished it with a refreshed sigh of delight. He finally put the mug back down onto the table.

“That was gorgeous Lucy. Now onto your question-” He pulled her into his arms, cuddling her close and nuzzling her. “ Yes, I know you love me. It’s clear in the words you say and the things you do for me, so there’s no need to panic there”

“I wasn’t...I just wanted to make sure”

“Well considering just today I’ve had a gift, kind words, a cuddle, a kiss” He winked at her, ah he had woken up then, well that was mortifying. Her face heated up as she got the feeling she would be hearing about this for a while. “_ And _ I woke up to tea and a blanket...I think it’s rather obvious. You do a poor job of hiding your feelings, but honestly, it just makes you cuter”

She flushed darker, but happily snuggled into his chest, this was probably where she was going to sleep tonight. But she found she didn’t mind a bit. 

“Thank you for being with me Loke, I truly do enjoy it”

“Always, I love you too Lucy”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Even if someone doesn't physically say I love you, doesn't mean they aren't showing it in everything they do.  
And that's the week over! Thank you for reading, I will get back to my other stories soon!


End file.
